Archive for the ‘Finishing’ Tag

After taking some time off for the holidays (and the mandatory shutdown at the day job), I lost two and a half weeks of January to a cold that went bronchitis. And that was me, the one who watches like a hawk at the first sign of a cold, because they almost always try to settle in my lungs (walking pneumonia back in high school left me susceptible).

It’s always worrying when, 28 hours after the first weird feeling, your doctor listens to your chest and says, “Wow. You just earned yourself a chest x-ray.” Luckily, said x-ray ruled out pneumonia, but showed a nasty case of bronchitis. Yay? Antibiotics and an inhaled steroid to get the coughing to work better, and I was on my way.

The constant coughing wasn’t too much of a problem (cough syrup kept it to a minimum and the Albuterol made it more effective), the rumbling and crackling when trying to breathe (or sleep) was annoying, but the bone-deep fatigue—probably from not being able to breathe properly—kept me from doing much of anything for two weeks. Do. Not. Like.

However, azithromycin is amazing. Six pills over five days and I’m back to me. Like. Very much.

So, now back to our regularly scheduled writing: finishing up the Kindness of Strangers novella to round out the first Strike Force anthology (Open Mike at Club Bebop, Getting Lucky, and Kindness of Strangers), plus telling the slightly skewed Sleeping Beauty story of Ekaterina Avondale’s parents, Dane Avondale (Hero of Ararat) and Aurora Ivanov (the Dragonkiller).

With luck, which hasn’t been in large supply for writing in the last few weeks, I should be able to get them edited, formatted, covered, and up for sale by the end of February (and I probably just jinxed myself by setting a deadline).

I’m also planning to release my first historical romance at the end of this month, under the pen name Jane Reynolds. Look for A Ruined Woman in about a week.

And then I can start on the writing I had planned for this year, LOL.

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I am the president of my local chapter of Romance Writers of America this year (and probably next year, unless someone wants to mount a write-in campaign). As part of my administration, I started a new project, which I call Finish the Damn Book–having shamelessly stolen the name from Cherry Adair’s much spiffier program at the Greater Seattle chapter of RWA.

Actually, I started it because I needed motivation to produce more output this year. Last year I finished a 70,000-word manuscript. The year before, only a 35,000-word novella. This vexed me, so I decided to do something about it, and drag the chapter along with me, or at least those members willing to be dragged.

This morning I did a progress check on myself; thus far this year I have written approximately 73,000 words of fiction. That’s not bad, but….that was spread over four different titles.

Sigh.

The book I wanted to finish is only half done, and I have only three months left in the year.

Granted, I’ve published two titles (the novel and novella finished last year and the year before), and I had to write blurbs and an author bio for those. I also finished the first draft of another novella. And I’ve written probably another 5,000 words of workshops, essays and articles about writing fiction.

But I need to get my behind in gear, or I’m not going to earn my romance writer’s sparkly tiara. I might have to make do with a coffee-cup full of chocolates and a purple feather boa, our consolation prizes. Quelle horreurs!

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The first draft of Open Mike at Club Bebop is typed and off to the critique group, all 29,500 words of it. Whew!

Now on to the next linked novella, Getting Lucky. This is also a Cinderella sort of story, but it actually has a wicked stepmother and a Society Darling now reduced to cleaning for a living. And yes, her nickname is Lucky. Mwah-hah-hah-hah-haaah.

I’m planning a total of three linked novellas that can be sold separately or bundled together as a novel in three parts. The third one I’m calling Kindness of Strangers as a working title. If you can buy a cryostasis chamber in an asteroid belt habitat as a glass coffin, think Snow White for a plot.

I’ve had a wonderful day today, and my first week as a regular full-time employee is going very well. To quote someone (Cat Stevens? Jennifer Crusie?), Nothing but good times ahead.

And it’s only Wednesday, so I’ve got that going for me, too. Yes, I know I’m a little over-bubbly right now; one might even say giddy and not be far off the mark. I promise I’ll get back to deep thoughts soon, but not today. Today I finished a first draft.

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Please pardon the blog silence. I’m one or two scenes away from finishing a first draft and it’s taking all of my attention.

Oh, and I converted to full-time regular at my new day job, so I’ve been filling out benefit forms and trying to figure out my magic retirement “number” for the 401K. Personally, I like #1 — on the New York Times Bestseller list.